Best Banana Cake

So, we got back from vacation and I had bananas to use up. Okay, they were black and I was going to throw them away. But I also had buttermilk to use up and thought it might be worth taking a minute to search for a good recipe combination.

Here ya go! Oh, and I didn't use butter in the frosting, just cream cheese. I kind of made it up.

Is it good? Well, after a few bites last night my sister said I should sell it. So there you are.



Best Banana Cake



Hands on time: 30 minutes Total time: 2 hours and 15 minutes Serves: 15
Ingredients:
FOR THE CAKE:
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups buttermilk


CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
15 servings
Hands on: 5 minutes
Total time: 5 minutes
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk (optional)
Instructions:
FOR THE CAKE: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-by-13 inch pan.

In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Stir in the banana mixture. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. When the cake is cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

FOR THE FROSTING: With an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high until frosting is smooth. If the frosting is too stiff to spread, beat in milk. Spread on the cooled cake.